the tube to Camden Town early that Wednesday morning, I took a clear-headed look at the competing tasks awaiting me. How far to take the issue of Florence’s insubordination? Report her to Human Resources and instigate a full-blown disciplinary tribunal with Moira in the chair? Heaven forfend. Better to have it out with her one-to-one behind closed doors. And on the positive side, award her the fast-developing case of agent Pitchfork.
Letting myself into the dingy hallway of the Haven, I am struck by the unusual silence. Ilya’s bicycle is there, but where is Ilya? Where is anyone? I climb the stairs to the first landing: not a sound. All doors closed. I climb to the second. The door to Florence’s cubicle is sealed with masking tape. A red ‘No Entry’ sign is pasted across it, and the door handle sprayed with wax. But the door to my own office stands wide open. On my desk lie two printouts.
The first an internal memo from Viv informing addressees that after due consideration by the competent Treasury sub-committee Operation Rosebud has been cancelled on grounds of disproportionate risk.
The second is an internal memo from Moira informing all relevant departments that Florence has resigned from the Service as of Monday and that full severance procedure has been activated in accordance with HO rules of disengagement.
*
Think now, do crisis later.
According to Moira, Florence’s resignation occurred a mere four hours before she showed up for the foursome with Ed and Laura at the Athleticus, which went a long way to explaining her aberrant behaviour. What had caused her to resign? On the face of it, the cancellation of Operation Rosebud, but don’t rush your fences. Having read both documents slowly for a third time, I stepped back on to the landing, cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled:
‘Everybody out, please. Now!’
As my team cautiously emerges from behind closed doors I piece together the story, or as much of it as anybody knows or is willing to say. Around eleven on the Monday morning, while I was safely tucked away in darkest Northwood, Florence had informed Ilya that she had an appointment with Dom Trench in his office. According to Ilya, normally a reliable source, she appeared more worried than excited by the prospect.
At one-fifteenish, while Ilya was upstairs covering the communications desk and the rest of the team were downstairs having their sandwich lunches and reading their phones, Florence appeared in the kitchen doorway having returned from her appointment with Dom. Scottish Denise had always been closest to Florence in the pecking order and had routinely taken over her agents when Florence was tied up or on leave.
‘She just stood there, Nat, like for minutes, staring at us like we were all crazy’ – Denise, awestruck.
‘Had Florence actually said anything?’
‘Not one single word, Nat. Just looked at us.’
From the kitchen Florence had gone upstairs to her room, locked the door on herself and – back to Ilya – ‘five minutes later came out with a Tesco carrier bag containing her flip-flops, the photo of her dead mum she kept on her desk, her cardie for when the heating’s off, and girls’ stuff from her desk drawer’. How Ilya managed to see all this collection at one glance eludes me, so allow for poetic licence.
Florence then ‘kisses me like three times Russian-style’ – Ilya, in full flood – ‘gives me an extra hug and tells me it’s for all of us. The hug is. So I say, what’s all this about then, Florence? because we know not to call her Flo. And Florence says, it’s nothing really, Ilya, except the ship has been taken over by the rats and I’ve jumped.’
For want of further testimony, these then were Florence’s parting words to the Haven. She had had her parley with Dom, handed in her resignation, returned from Head Office to the Haven, collected her possessions and by approximately 3.05 p.m. was back on the street and unemployed. Within minutes of her departure, two tight-lipped representatives from Domestic Security – not the rats who had taken over the ship, but Ferrets, as they were commonly known – arrived in a green Office van, removed Florence’s computer and steel cupboard and demanded to know of each member of my staff in turn whether she had entrusted any article to them for safekeeping or discussed the reasons for her departure. Having received the required assurances on both counts, they sealed her room.
*
Instructing everyone to get on with their work